This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament

Petition Change the Furlough Support Scheme to include new hires after 28th February.

The government have released the furlough worker support scheme, but it disadvantages and discriminated against those who have just changed jobs or are due to start a new job in the very near future. This needs to be changed to be inclusive.

More details

The scheme needs to be changed to include anybody starting a job until 30th April to allow for the majority of workers in notice periods to be able to be supported with this scheme.

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

12,174 signatures

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Government responded

This response was given on 16 June 2020

The cut-off date for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was extended to 19 March in April.

Read the response in full

The government announced in April that it would extend the cut-off date for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to 19 March. This allowed employees whose payroll information was notified to HMRC by 19th March to be included. Over 200,000 employees who started a job in March benefitted as a result of this change.

The extension of the cut-off date allowed as many people as possible to be eligible for the scheme by going right up to the day before the announcement. There are currently no plans to extend the cut-off date beyond 19 March. The CJRS has had to be set up to operate at significant scale and with limited manual intervention. Extending the cut-off date further would significantly increase the risk of abuse because claims could not be confidently verified against the risk of fraud using the data after this point, when the scheme became public.

HM Treasury

MPs investigate the economic impact of coronavirus

A group of MPs called the Treasury Committee is investigating the economic impact of coronavirus, including looking at support for businesses, employees and self-employed people.

The Committee launched the first stage of its inquiry on 18 March to look at the speed, effectiveness and reach of the Government’s and Bank of England’s immediate financial response to coronavirus.

During this stage, the Committee pushed the Government on the lack of support for the self-employed, on lenders requesting personal guarantees on business interruption loans, and on the issue of large firms struggling to get support, including in order to retain their employees.

On 24 April the Committee launched the next stage of its inquiry, in which it will examine the effectiveness, cost and sustainability of the Government’s and Bank of England’s support packages. The Committee will also examine the impact on the economy and different sectors, the implications for public finances, and how the Government can work towards a sustained recovery.

You can find out about the inquiry, including how to submit your views and details of meetings the Committee is holding, here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/224/economic-impact-of-coronavirus/

The Treasury Committee is a cross-party group of MPs and is independent of the Government. The Committee looks at and questions the Government about matters relating to the spending of public money and economic policy.

You can find out more about the Treasury Committee on their website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/158/treasury-committee

You can follow the Treasury Committee on Twitter: @CommonsTreasury

The Treasury Committee is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c

Has coronavirus affected your business in Wales?

A group of MPs called the Welsh Affairs Committee is looking into the impact of coronavirus on the Welsh economy, and would like to hear your views.

If your business in Wales has been affected by coronavirus, complete this survey to tell the Welsh Affairs Committee how the coronavirus outbreak has affected you: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nt3mHDeziEC-Xo277ASzSsdf6aRbb_hHi61kcnJ3-KJUNEpKUVQ3ODkxU0tTQUdVV05ZMFhYRFozRy4u

The survey should only take 10 minutes to complete, and closes at 5pm on 15 May.

The Welsh Affairs Committee is a cross-party group of MPs and is independent of the Government. The Committee looks at and questions the Government about matters that have an impact on Wales.

You can find out more about the Welsh Affairs Committee on their website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/162/welsh-affairs-committee/

You can follow the Welsh Affairs Committee on Twitter: @CommonsWelshAff

The Welsh Affairs Committee is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c

Further Information

You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/

Read letters from the Committee asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/publications/

Visit our website to find news and information on other activity in relation to coronavirus and other issues: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/

You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

MPs publish report on the economic impact of coronavirus

A group of MPs called the Treasury Committee have published a report one the Economic impact of coronavirus. The report considers the Government’s response to coronavirus, including on new starters and other groups who could be missing out on financial support.

Read the full report on the "Economic impact of coronavirus: Gaps in support", published on 15 June 2020: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmselect/cmtreasy/454/45402.htm

Read transcripts and view videos of evidence sessions and find out more about the Treasury Committee’s inquiry into the economic impact of coronavirus:
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/224/economic-impact-of-coronavirus/

The Treasury Committee is currently accepting evidence for their inquiry and submissions are welcome until Friday 26 June 2020:
https://committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evidence/106/economic-impact-of-coronavirus/

What is the Treasury Committee?

The Treasury Committee looks at and questions the Government about matters relating to public spending, public finances, taxes and public budgets. It's a cross-party committee of MPs and is independent of the Government.

You can find out more about the Treasury Committee on their website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/158/treasury-committee/

You can follow the Transport Committee on Twitter: @CommonsTreasury

The Treasury Committee is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c

Further Information

You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/

You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

MPs to debate Government spending on Covid-19 support for employees and the self-employed

On Tuesday 7 July MPs will debate the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and support for the self-employed through the Self-employment Income Support Scheme.
The debate should start at around 4pm, although the exact start time will depend on other business, and you can watch the debate live here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/51b7cb07-c3d5-4e95-b272-4732c0e9f5b9

A transcript will be published the following day here: https://hansard.parliament.uk

The debate has been requested by the Chair of the Treasury Committee, which recently published a report on the economic impact of coronavirus, and gaps in support: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/1446/documents/13238/default/

This debate is being held as part of several Estimates Day debates, where MPs debate and agree the Government’s spending plans. You can find out more about Estimates Day debates and the subjects that are being debated here: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/202/backbench-business-committee/news/147093/backbench-business-committee-confirms-topics-for-estimates-day-debates/